After the initial shock of the Boston Celtics adding free agent Dennis Schroder wore off, the next question became how will the Cs fit the former Los Angeles Laker into their roster. As things currently sit, the team is over the 15-man league maximum. In other words, someone’s got to go.
In many minds, the most obvious name to possibly be shown the door is Jabari Parker, mainly due to his $2.3 million non-guaranteed deal. However, Brian Robb of Mass Live believes that the presence of the former No. 2 overall pick in the team’s frontcourt may be too crucial to let go. Instead, he believes that Schroder’s addition to the roster will most likely spell the end to a fellow guard’s tenure in Beantown.
“I think that Carsen Edwards is the most likely candidate to go based on that team’s current depth chart,” Robb wrote. “He’s been fine in summer league but the Celtics have a ton of experienced guards now so hard to see him keeping his spot. If cost cutting is the main concern, Kris Dunn will be shopped to see if anyone wants his deal. Jabari Parker’s contract is non-guaranteed but the team could actually use his depth right now as a backup power forward since they are fairly thin there from a size standpoint.”
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Is Edwards on the Outside Looking In?
Edwards’ $1.7 million contract is guaranteed, but with the arrival of Schroder, the Celtics look to be a bit crowded at point guard — and that’s even before taking into consideration what the team will decide to do with stashed-guard Yam Madar. Marcus Smart is expected to inherit the starting role from the departed Kemba Walker. Payton Pritchard, who has performed admirably in the summer league, could easily improve on his 19.2 minutes per game from a season ago. The team also recently acquired former top-five pick, Kris Dunn, in the three-team trade that shipped Tristan Thompson to Sacramento.
As far as Edwards goes, he’s failed to truly break into Boston’s rotation over his first two seasons in the league, averaging 9.2 minutes per game over his 68 game appearances. The former Purdue Boilermaker is coming off a 2020-21 campaign where he averaged a career-high 4.0 points on 42.3% shooting, as well as 0.5 assists and 0.8 rebounds.
Kris Dunn on the Move Again?
As Robb mentioned above, Dunn is another name to keep an eye on in the trade market. Prior to landing Schroder, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that the Celtics had been “exploring trade opportunities” for both Dunn and big man Bruno Fernando. That appears to still be the case in the aftermath of adding Schroder. Per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, “could look to trade Dunn to ease the backcourt logjam a bit.”
Dunn, 27, has failed to live up to his billing as a top-five pick, especially from an offensive perspective. With that said, if he sticks around, he’d add another serviceable defender in the backcourt alongside Smart and Josh Richardson.
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Celtics Guard is ‘Most Likely to Go’ Following Schroder Signing, per Insider